U.S. patent number 7,069,600 [Application Number 10/772,766] was granted by the patent office on 2006-07-04 for toe sock.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Injinji Footwear, Inc.. Invention is credited to Joaquin Romay.
United States Patent |
7,069,600 |
Romay |
July 4, 2006 |
Toe sock
Abstract
An anatomic dry athletic toe sock includes a sock shaft section
with a shaft support section to encircle a lower part of a leg of a
wearer and to maintain the sock in proper orientation upon a
wearer's leg, and a closed foot section adapted to receive the foot
of the wearer. The closed foot section includes a heel section
adapted to receive a heel of the wearer therein, an arch section
having an arch support section to encircle the foot of the wearer
in the arch of the wearer's foot and to prevent the arch section
from moving relative to the wearer's foot, and a plurality of
separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of the
wearer. The toe sections are joined by nested, overlapping material
portions. The sock is also made at least partially of an
air-permeable hydrophobic fiber material.
Inventors: |
Romay; Joaquin (San Diego,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Injinji Footwear, Inc. (San
Diego, CA)
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Family
ID: |
36763496 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/772,766 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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10158780 |
May 29, 2002 |
6708348 |
|
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09863153 |
May 22, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/239 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41B
11/003 (20130101); A41B 11/004 (20130101); D04B
1/26 (20130101); A41B 2400/60 (20130101); D10B
2403/0114 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A41B
11/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;2/239-242,409,18-21,159-161.2,161.6,163,169
;66/178R,183-187,178A |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hoey; Alissa L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fitch, Even, Tabin &
Flannery
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/158,780, filed May 29, 2002 now U.S. Pat.
No. 6,708,348, entitled ANATOMIC DRY ATHLETIC TOE SOCK, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/863,153, filed
May 22, 2001 now abandoned, entitled ANATOMIC DRY ATHLETIC TOE
SOCK, both of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An anatomic dry athletic toe sock shaped to fit either a right
foot or a left foot of a wearer, said anatomic dry athletic toe
sock comprising: a sock shaft section including an open end through
which the foot of the wearer is inserted when the sock is put on,
the sock shaft section including a shaft support section to
encircle a lower part of a leg of a wearer and to maintain the sock
in proper orientation upon the leg; a closed foot section adapted
to receive the foot of the wearer, the closed foot section
including a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the wearer
therein, an arch section having an arch support section to encircle
the foot of the wearer in an arch of the wearer's foot and to
prevent the arch section of the sock from moving relative to the
wearer's foot, a plurality of separated, closed toe sections to
receive toes of the foot of the wearer, the toe sections being
separated by trough regions that keep the toes separate to prevent
the toes from rubbing and that each have an apex located where
adjacent toe sections are joined, the toe sections joined by
nested, overlapping material portions at the apex of each trough
region, wherein said sock is made at least partially of an
air-permeable, hydrophobic, wicking fiber material.
2. The sock of claim 1, wherein the sock includes an interior
portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion including a
greater or equal amount of hydrophobic fiber material than the
exterior portion, the hydrophobic fiber material serving to wick
away perspiration from the user's body and allow air
therethrough.
3. The sock of claim 1, where the sock includes one or more
sections with multiple adjacent high density and low density
hydrophobic fiber material areas.
4. The sock of claim 1, where the hydrophobic fiber material is
channeled.
5. The sock of claim 1, where the hydrophobic fiber material has at
least one of a tetra-channeled and hollow-core configuration.
6. The sock of claim 1, wherein the shaft support section includes
multiple adjacent high density and low density hydrophobic fiber
material areas.
7. The sock of claim 1, wherein the sock includes a dual-welt
band.
8. The sock of claim 1, wherein the heel section is configured to
provide an anatomic, accurately sized, anti-slipping, good form fit
to a natural shape of a wearer's heel, preventing the heel section
from bunching up or slipping out of place.
9. The sock of claim 1, wherein the heel section has a generally
bilaterally symmetric trapezoidal shape.
10. The sock of claim 9, wherein the heel section has sides with
opposite angled stitched seams.
11. The sock of claim 1, wherein each toe section includes a top
portion above the toe and a bottom portion below the toe that are
seamless.
12. A sock comprising: a heel section adapted to receive a heel of
a foot of a wearer therein; an arch section; and a plurality of
separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of the
wearer, the toe sections being separated by trough regions that
keep the toes separate to prevent the toes from rubbing and that
each have an apex located where adjacent toe sections are joined,
the toe sections joined by nested, overlapping material portions at
the apex of each trough region.
13. A sock in accordance with claim 12, wherein the sock is made at
least partially of an air-permeable, hydrophobic fiber
material.
14. A sock in accordance with claim 13, wherein the sock includes
an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion
including a greater or equal amount of hydrophobic fiber material
than the exterior portion.
15. A sock in accordance with claim 13, wherein the sock includes
one or more sections with multiple adjacent high density and low
density hydrophobic fiber material areas.
16. A sock in accordance with claim 13, wherein the hydrophobic
fiber material comprises channels.
17. A sock in accordance with claim 13, wherein the hydrophobic
fiber material has at least one of a tetra-channeled and
hollow-core configuration.
18. A sock in accordance with claim 12, wherein the heel section
has a generally bilaterally symmetric trapezoidal shape.
19. A sock in accordance with claim 12, wherein the heel section
has sides with opposite angled stitched seams.
20. A sock in accordance with claim 12, wherein the arch support
section includes multiple adjacent high density and low density
hydrophobic fiber material areas.
21. A sock in accordance with claim 12, wherein each toe section
includes a top portion above the toe and a bottom portion below the
toe that are seamless.
22. A sock in accordance with claim 12, further comprising: a sock
shaft section including an open end through which the foot of the
wearer is inserted when the sock is put on and adapted to encircle
a lower part of a leg of a wearer.
23. A sock in accordance with claim 22, wherein the shaft support
section includes multiple adjacent high density and low density
hydrophobic fiber material areas.
24. A sock in accordance with claim 22, wherein the sock includes a
dual-welt band.
25. A method of making a sock, comprising the steps of: forming a
heel section adapted to receive a heel of a foot of a wearer
therein; forming an arch section; and forming a plurality of
separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of the
wearer, the toe sections being separated by trough regions that
keep the toes separate to prevent the toes from rubbing and that
each have an apex located where adjacent toe sections are joined,
the toe sections joined by nested, overlapping material portions at
the apex of each trough region.
26. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein the sock is made
at least partially of an air-permeable, hydrophobic fiber
material.
27. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the sock includes
an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion
including a greater or equal amount of hydrophobic fiber material
than the exterior portion.
28. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the sock includes
one or more sections with multiple adjacent high density and low
density hydrophobic fiber material areas.
29. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the hydrophobic
fiber material comprises channels.
30. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the hydrophobic
fiber material has at least one of a tetra-channeled and
hollow-core configuration.
31. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein the heel section
has a generally bilaterally symmetric trapezoidal shape.
32. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the heel section
has sides with opposite angled stitched seams.
33. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein the arch support
section includes multiple adjacent high density and low density
hydrophobic fiber material areas.
34. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein each toe section
includes a top portion above the toe and a bottom portion below the
toe that are seamless.
35. A method in accordance with claim 25, further comprising the
step of: forming a sock shaft section including an open end through
which the foot of the wearer is inserted when the sock is put on
and adapted to encircle a lower part of a leg of a wearer.
36. A method in accordance with claim 35, wherein the shaft support
section includes multiple adjacent high density and low density
hydrophobic fiber material areas.
37. A method in accordance with claim 35, further comprising the
step of: forming a dual-welt band on the sock.
38. A sock comprising: a sock shaft section including an open end
through which a foot of a wearer is inserted when the sock is put
on; and a closed foot section adapted to receive the foot of the
wearer, the closed foot section including a heel section adapted to
receive a heel of the wearer therein, an arch section, a plurality
of separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of
the wearer, the toe sections being separated by trough regions that
keep the toes separate to prevent the toes from rubbing and that
each have an apex located where adjacent toe sections are joined,
the toe sections joined by nested, overlapping material portions at
the apex of each trough region, wherein said sock is made at least
partially of a air-permeable, hydrophobic fiber material.
39. A sock in accordance with claim 38, wherein the sock includes
an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion
including a greater or equal amount of hydrophobic fiber material
than the exterior portion.
40. A sock comprising: a sock shaft section including an open end
through which a foot of a wearer is inserted when the sock is put
on; and a closed foot section adapted to receive the foot of the
wearer, the closed foot section including a heel section adapted to
receive a heel of the wearer therein, an arch section, a plurality
of separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of
the wearer, the toe sections being separated by trough regions that
keep the toes separate to prevent the toes from rubbing and that
each have an apex located where adjacent toe sections are joined,
the toe sections joined by nested, overlapping material portions at
the apex of each trough region.
41. A sock in accordance with claim 10, wherein each toe section
includes a top portion above the toe and a bottom portion below the
toe that are seamless.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to athletic socks, and,
in particular, to athletic toe socks.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Toe socks have been around since at least the 1960s. A toe sock is
worn like a regular sock, except the sock includes multiple toe
sections to accommodate the wearer's toes, similar to the way the
finger sections of a glove accommodate a wearer's fingers. Toe
socks of the past were made more for novelty purposes than for true
athletic use. Problems with prior toe socks include that the sock
material was made of an uncomfortable acrylic material or the sock
material was made of materials such as cotton/poly blends and poly
blends that absorb moisture, making them inadequate for athletic
use. Additional problems include that the stitching between toe
sections was bulky and uncomfortable, the socks had a generic
shape, the socks were baggy, and the socks were not anatomically
shaped or form fitting. The poor fit of these socks caused the
socks to move around on the wearer's foot during use, increasing
the probability of blisters or other foot irritation caused by
rubbing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention recognized a
need for an anatomic dry athletic toe sock that functions like a
second skin for the wearer's foot and eliminates one or more of
these problems with prior toe socks.
An aspect of the invention involves an anatomic dry athletic toe
sock shaped to fit either a right foot or a left foot of a wearer.
The anatomic dry athletic toe sock includes a sock shaft section
including an open end through which the foot of the wearer is
inserted when the sock is put on. The sock shaft section includes a
shaft support section to encircle a lower part of a leg of a wearer
and maintain the sock in proper orientation upon the leg. A closed
foot section is adapted to receive the foot of the wearer and
includes a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the wearer
therein, an arch section having an arch support section to encircle
the foot of the wearer in the arch of the wearer's foot and prevent
the arch section of the sock from moving relative to the wearer's
foot, and a plurality of separated, closed toe sections to receive
toes of the foot of the wearer. The toe sections are joined by
nested, overlapping material portions. The sock is also made at
least partially of an air-permeable hydrophobic fiber material.
Another aspect of the invention involves an anatomic dry athletic
toe sock shaped to fit either a right foot or a left foot of a
wearer. The anatomic dry athletic toe sock includes a sock shaft
section including an open end through which the foot of the wearer
is inserted when the sock is put on. The sock shaft section is
adapted to encircle a lower part of a leg of a wearer and includes
a shaft support section to maintain the sock in proper orientation
upon a wearer's leg. A closed foot section is adapted to receive
the foot of the wearer. The foot section includes a heel section
adapted to receive a heel of the wearer therein, an arch section
having an arch support section to encircle the foot of the wearer
in the arch of the wearer's foot and to prevent the arch section of
the sock from moving relative to the wearer's foot, and a plurality
of separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of
the wearer.
An additional aspect of the invention involves an anatomic dry
athletic toe sock shaped to fit either a right foot or a left foot
of a wearer. The anatomic dry athletic toe sock includes a sock
shaft section including an open end through which the foot of the
wearer is inserted when the sock is put on and is adapted to
encircle a lower part of a leg of a wearer. A closed foot section
is adapted to receive the foot of the wearer. The closed foot
section includes a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the
wearer therein, an arch section, and a plurality of separated,
closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of the wearer. The
sock is also made at least partially of an air-permeable
hydrophobic fiber material and includes an interior portion and an
exterior portion. The interior portion includes a greater amount of
hydrophobic fiber material than the exterior portion, the
hydrophobic fiber material serving to wick away perspiration from
the user's body and allow air therethrough.
A further aspect of the invention involves an anatomic dry athletic
toe sock shaped to fit either a right foot or a left foot of a
wearer. The anatomic dry athletic toe sock includes a sock shaft
section including an open end through which the foot of the wearer
is inserted when the sock is put on and is adapted to encircle a
lower part of a leg of a wearer. A closed foot section is adapted
to receive the foot of the wearer. The closed foot section includes
a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the wearer therein, an
arch section, and a plurality of separated, closed toe sections to
receive toes of the foot of the wearer. The toe sections are joined
by nested, overlapping material portions.
A still further aspect of the invention involves an anatomic dry
athletic toe sock shaped to fit either a right foot or a left foot
of a wearer. The anatomic dry athletic toe sock includes a sock
shaft section including an open end through which the foot of the
wearer is inserted when the sock is put on and is adapted to
encircle a lower part of a leg of a wearer. A closed foot section
is adapted to receive the foot of the wearer. The closed foot
section includes a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the
wearer therein, an arch section having a circumferential ribbed
elastomeric band adapted to encircle the foot of the wearer in the
arch of the wearer's foot and for preventing the arch section of
the sock from moving relative to the wearer's foot, and a plurality
of separated, closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of
the wearer.
Another aspect of the invention involves a sock comprising a heel
section adapted to receive a heel of a foot of a wearer therein, an
arch section, and a plurality of separated, closed toe sections to
receive toes of the foot of the wearer. The toe sections are joined
by nested, overlapping material portions.
Another aspect of the invention involves a method of making a sock.
The method comprises the steps of: forming a heel section adapted
to receive a heel of a foot of a wearer therein; forming an arch
section; and forming a plurality of separated, closed toe sections
to receive toes of the foot of the wearer, the toe sections joined
by nested, overlapping material portions.
Another aspect of the invention involves a method for use in making
a sock. The method comprises the steps of: knitting a first toe
section; and knitting a next larger toe section to partially
overlap the first toe section.
Another aspect of the invention involves a sock. The sock comprises
a sock shaft section including an open end through which a foot of
a wearer is inserted when the sock is put on, and a closed foot
section adapted to receive the foot of the wearer. The closed foot
section includes a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the
wearer therein, an arch section, and a plurality of separated,
closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of the wearer, the
toe sections joined by nested, overlapping material portions. The
sock is made at least partially of a air-permeable, hydrophobic
fiber material.
Another aspect of the invention involves a sock. The sock comprises
a sock shaft section including an open end through which a foot of
a wearer is inserted when the sock is put on, and a closed foot
section adapted to receive the foot of the wearer. The closed foot
section includes a heel section adapted to receive a heel of the
wearer therein, an arch section, and a plurality of separated,
closed toe sections to receive toes of the foot of the wearer, the
toe sections joined by nested, overlapping material portions.
These and further objects and advantages will be apparent to those
skilled in the art in connection with the drawing and the detailed
description of the preferred embodiment set forth below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an anatomic dry
athletic toe sock.
FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the anatomic dry athletic toe
sock illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the area 3--3 of the sock illustrated
in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIGS. 1 3, an embodiment of an anatomic dry
athletic toe sock 10 will now be described.
The sock 10 is preferably made of an air permeable, hydrophobic,
tetra-channel, wicking polyester fiber material such as
Coolmax.RTM. sold by Dupont. Other hydrophobic wicking fibers may
be used. For example, but not by way of limitation, a hollow-core,
hydrophobic wicking fiber sold as Thermolite.TM. by Dupont may be
used. This fiber material wicks away moisture and traps warm air in
its hollow-core fibers. Also, a Teflon.RTM. or
polytetrafluoroethylene fiber material may be used. This fiber
material may be used to wick away moisture and reduce friction
against the skin.
Preferably, an interior portion of the sock 10 has a greater or
equal concentration of the hydrophobic fibers than an exterior
portion of the sock 10, helping to pull moisture away from the skin
to the exterior of the sock 10 where it will evaporate.
Prior toe socks have been made of absorbent materials such as
cotton and other hydrophilic materials. A problem with these
materials is that they attract perspiration from the foot instead
of wicking the moisture away from the foot. When the foot produces
excessive amounts of perspiration or sweat, especially during
athletic activity, the body is using energy to try and keep cool.
This is energy the body could be using to perform. If the
perspiration doesn't evaporate quickly, the body core temperature
heats up, producing more sweat.
Hydrophobic fibers such as those used in the CoolMax.RTM. fabric
transport perspiration away from the skin to the outer layer of the
sock 10, where the large surface area of the tetra-channel fibers
allow the moisture to evaporate quickly. Simultaneously, the fiber
material provides great breathability or air permeability, even
when wet. The breathability further enhances the thermoregulatory
effect. The user's foot stays drier and more comfortable. The
above-described fiber arrangement minimizes friction between the
foot and the sock. Friction between the foot and the sock can cause
blisters.
The sock preferably includes a resistant nylon exterior portion.
The resistant nylon exterior portion may include spandex or similar
stretchy material. Nylon is used in a weaving relationship with
spandex fiber to add durability. Both the nylon and spandex are
synthetic and wick away moisture, but less than hydrophobic fibers
discussed above (e.g., Coolmax.RTM., Thermolite.TM.). In
combination, nylon and spandex fibers keep the sock 10 adhered to
the contours of the wearer's foot, reducing movement of the sock
relative to the foot and chaffing, and draw moisture to the surface
of the sock because the tighter the fiber adheres to the foot, the
better moisture is pulled to the outside of the sock.
Thus, the interior portion of the sock 10 preferably has a greater
concentration of hydrophobic fiber material such as Coolmax.RTM.
and the exterior portion has a higher concentration of nylon and
spandex fiber material. In a preferred embodiment, the fabric
content is 70% Coolmax.RTM., 25% Nylon, and 5% Spande-flex.TM.,
although this may vary in alternative embodiments.
Preferably, each sock 10 of a pair of socks is anatomically
designed for either a wearer's left foot or right foot. In an
alternative embodiment, a sock may be used for either foot. The
socks 10 preferably come in different sizes, e.g., XS, S, M, L, XL
and may have different configurations for different sock
applications, e.g., running, hiking, etc.
The sock 10 includes a shaft section 14 and a foot section 18. The
foot section 18 includes multiple toe sections 22, an arch section
26, and a heel section 34.
The shaft section 14 is tubular and may vary in length and/or
construction in accordance with the application of the sock 10. For
example, but not by way of limitation, if the sock 10 is a running
sock, the shaft section 14 may be relatively short so that it
extends just above the ankle and may include very narrow, tightly
packed vertical ribs. If the sock 10 is a hiking sock, all-terrain
sock or other general-purpose athletic sock, the shaft section 14
may be relatively longer, extending to slightly below the calf
region or to the calf region. If the sock 10 is a soccer sock,
basketball sock, baseball sock, hockey sock, etc., the shaft
section 14 may extend to above the calf region. General athletic
socks, basketball socks, soccer socks, and the like may have ribbed
sections that are relatively wide and spaced farther apart than the
ribs in running socks.
A substantial portion of the shaft section 14 preferably includes a
ribbed (preferably vertically ribbed) shaft support section 38 that
elastically fits firmly around the wearer's leg without restricting
circulation. The shaft support section 38 is preferably made of a
spandex and nylon fiber material and has a higher elastomeric to
hydrophobic fiber ratio than most or all of the other sections of
the sock 10. The higher elastomeric ratio creates an anti-slip,
elastic section that is durable and increases the sock's ability to
stay up on a lower part of the wearer's leg without rotating or
slipping and causing blisters. This creates a snug fit around a
lower part of the wearer's leg which, in turn, offers more support.
This feature promotes improved blood circulation in the foot. The
anti-slip nature of the shaft support section 38 does not restrict
movement in the wearer's lower leg. The higher elastomeric ratio
adheres the fabric to the skin of the wearer's leg. Tighter
adhesion to the skin increases the sock's ability to wick moisture
away from the skin. The ribs in this section 38 increase
breathability and wicking action. Alternating ribs and channels of
different hydrophobic fiber density allow air to easily flow into
channels with a lower hydrophobic fiber density to dry the skin and
push moisture into channels with a higher hydrophobic fiber
density, which transports the moisture to the outer surface of the
sock 10, away from the skin, for keeping the skin dry.
Although the shaft support section 38 is described as having ribs,
this section 38 may have alternative high density/low density
hydrophobic fiber configurations or patterns, e.g., mesh patterns,
diamond patterns, cross-stitch patterns, checker patterns, waffle
patterns.
At a top portion of the section 38, the shaft 10 includes a
dual-welt band or reinforced top 42 to prevent slipping, chaffing,
and the like. In the dual-welt band 42, the section 38 is
double-layered or doubled over, and stitched together. The extra
elastomeric spandex/nylon layer creates more durability and ability
for the sock to stay up on the wearer's leg and provides an
anti-slip band that prevents sock movement and chaffing.
With reference specifically to FIG. 2, the heel section 34 may have
a generally bilaterally symmetric trapezoidal shape with opposite
angled stitched seams 46 on both sides of the heel 34. This
construction provides an anatomic, accurately sized, antislipping,
good form fit to the natural shape of the wearer's heel, preventing
the heel 34 of the sock from bunching up, slipping out of place,
stretching, or rotating, preventing chaffing and blistering. The
anatomic construction of the heel 34 also prevents the wearer from
putting the sock over his or her foot with the heel of the sock 10
out of place. The elastomeric spandex and nylon fibers used in the
heel section 34 hold the fabric tight to the skin of the heel,
increasing the ability of the hydrophobic material in the sock to
wick moisture away from the skin. In alternative embodiments, the
heel section 34 may have alternative high density/low density
hydrophobic fiber configurations or patterns, e.g., mesh patterns,
diamond patterns, cross-stitch patterns, checker patterns, waffle
patterns. In alternative embodiments, the heel 34 may have a
different configuration.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the foot section 18 is preferably
made of the sock material described initially above with high
density/low density hydrophobic fiber configurations or patterns,
e.g., mesh patterns, diamond patterns, cross-stitch patterns,
checker patterns, waffle patterns, weaved or otherwise provided
therein.
An arch support section 50, which preferably has a material
construction similar to the shaft support section 38 described
above with respect to the shaft 14, may encircle a portion of the
arch of a wearer's foot. The arch support section 50 is preferably
vertically or horizontally ribbed and elastically fits firmly
around a portion of the wearer's foot without restricting
circulation. The section 50 has a higher elastomeric nylon/spandex
to hydrophobic fiber ratio than most or all of the other sections
of the sock 10. The higher elastomeric ratio creates an anti-slip,
elastic section that is durable and increases the sock's ability to
stay in position on the wearer's foot without rotating or slipping,
preventing blisters. This creates a snug fit around the foot which,
in turn, offers more support. This feature promotes improved blood
circulation in the foot. The antislip nature of this section 50
does not restrict movement in the wearer's foot. The higher
elastomeric ratio adheres the fabric to the skin of the wearer's
foot. Tighter adhesion to the skin increases the sock's ability to
wick moisture away from the skin. The ribs in this section 50
increase breathability and wicking action. Alternating rib channels
of different hydrophobic fiber density allow air to easily flow
into channels with lower hydrophobic fiber density to dry the skin
and push moisture into channels with higher hydrophobic fiber
density, which transports the moisture to the outer surface of the
sock 10, away from the skin, for keeping the skin dry.
Although this section 50 is described as having ribs, this section
50 may have alternative high density/low density hydrophobic fiber
configurations or patterns, e.g., mesh patterns, diamond patterns,
cross-stitch patterns, checker patterns, waffle patterns.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the sock 10 preferably includes
five toe sections 22. In alternative embodiments, the sock 10 may
have alternative numbers of toe sections, e.g., 2, 3, 4. The toe
sections 22 are separated by trough regions 54. Toe socks in the
past had uncomfortable trough regions. Because toe socks have not
been that common, most wearers are more familiar with their toes
being in skin-to-skin contact, in a tight or snug relationship with
each other. In the past, adjacent trough sections formed a V or
angle that intersected at an apex. At the apex, the adjacent trough
sections were stitched together to join the toe sections. This
stitched apex created an uncomfortable lumpy feeling between the
wearer's toes. In contrast, the trough regions 54, which each have
an apex located where adjacent toe sections 22 are joined, include
nested, overlapping material portions 58 where the toe sections 22
intersect. The nested, overlapping material portions 58 eliminate
the uncomfortable lumpy feeling between the toes common to toe
socks of the past. Keeping the toes separate prevents the toes from
rubbing. This improves circulation in the foot, relieves stress,
and protects the toe from moisture and blistering. The hydrophobic
and permeable material used in the sock 10 further protects the
toes from moisture and blistering by wicking away perspiration from
the toes to the surface of the sock and promoting breathability in
this area of the sock 10. Another benefit of the toe construction
is that it is seamless across the top and bottom. Athletic socks in
the past generally include a seam running across the top or bottom
of the sock, along the toe of the sock. This seam protrudes, is
uncomfortable, inhibits circulation in the wearer's foot, and
causes blisters. The toe sections 22 of the sock 10 are stitched
and closed with the nested, overlapping material portions 58 so
that the slight seams that do exist at the toe sections 22 are
unnoticeable to the toes when in the toe sections 22 and do not
cause irritating pressure points on the toes where a seam would
normally be, increasing comfort and reducing friction and
blistering.
An exemplary method of manufacturing the sock 10 will now be
generally described. The sock 10 may be knitted into two halves, a
top half and a bottom half, of a desired weave pattern. Each half
is uniformly knit with the exception of the shaft support section
38 and the arch support section 50. These two sections 38, 50 may
be knit in uniformity to each other. To create the heel 34, the
bottom half is knit longer than the top half in the heel section.
The heel section of the bottom half includes a pair of oppositely
oriented, symmetric V-shaped cut-outs. The angled portions of the
cut-outs are stitched together to form the opposite angled seams
46. This causes the heel 34 to have the generally bilaterally
symmetric trapezoidal shape. The toe sections 22 are knit to have
overlapping material portions 58. This may be done by first
knitting the smallest toe section 22 followed by consecutively
knitting the next larger toe section 22 to partially overlap the
smaller toe before it. Preferably as the halves are knit, the
halves are simultaneously joined together along their edges. The
ends of the toe sections 22 are joined along their periphery. The
sock 10 may be manufactured by a single machine with multiple
sub-machine components, or multiple machines. Further, the steps
described above may be performed simultaneously, consecutively, or
a combination of the two.
The material construction of the sock 10, as well as other aspects
of the sock 10 described above, make the sock 10 like an additional
layer of skin for the wearer's foot. The sock is thin, lightweight,
breathable, and moldable to every contour of a wearer's foot. The
anatomic design of the sock 10 makes it relatively snug on the
wearer's foot, but does not restrict movement, preventing blisters
and chaffing. The anatomic design of the sock 10 and snugness
imparted by the sock 10 causes more surface area of the sock 10 to
firmly touch the skin, including the toe area, wicking more
moisture from the skin and keeping the wearer's foot drier than toe
socks of the prior art.
Although the anatomic, dry toe sock 10 has been described as an
athletic sock, in an alternative embodiment, the sock 10 may be a
dress sock or other type of sock. Further, in one or more
alternative embodiments, the sock 10 may include one or more of the
aspects described above (e.g., sock 10 made of an air permeable,
hydrophobic, wicking tetra-channel or hollow-core fiber material,
greater amount of hydrophobic material on interior portion of sock,
one or more sections of the sock 10 include high density/low
density hydrophobic fiber configurations or patterns, shaft section
includes a shaft support section, shaft section includes dual-welt
band, foot portion includes arch support section, toe sections
separated by nested, overlapping material portions). The general
material construction of the sock 10 and/or one or more sections of
the sock may have a configuration or pattern such as, but not
limited to, a rib pattern (e.g., vertical, horizontal), a mesh
pattern, a diamond pattern, a cross-stitch pattern, a checker
pattern, and a waffle pattern. Further, the sock 10 may have one or
more thicker areas for certain sock applications, e.g., a
snowboarding sock, a specialized running sock. For example, if the
sock 10 was a snowboarding sock, the sock 10 may have thicker area
in a front part of the shaft section 14 to pad the wearer's shin
from the boot and a thicker area on top of a front portion of the
sock 10 to pad the top of the wearer's foot from the boot. If the
sock 10 was a specialized running sock, the sock 10 may have a
thicker area on ball of foot and/or heel to pad the foot of the
runner. The thicker ball area and/or foot area may be anatomical to
left and right feet.
It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that still
further changes and modifications in the actual concepts described
herein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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